Aerosols for therapeutic purposes are generated and delivered to a desired location within a user's or patient's body with aerosol delivery devices. A fluid or liquid (i.e., medicament) to be aerosolised or nebulised is supplied to an aerosol generator of the aerosol delivery device, the fluid or liquid is aerosolised or nebulised by the aerosol generator and the resultant aerosol is supplied to the user or patient.
The fluid or liquid may be aerosolised or nebulised in the aerosol generator by a vibratable element, such as a vibratable head. The characteristics of the vibratable element of the aerosol generator are decisive for the quality of the generated aerosol and for the aerosol dosage accuracy. At the same time, the vibratable element is also generally very sensitive. A misalignment of the vibratable element may negatively affect the oscillatory or vibrating motion of the element during aerosol generation and therefore compromise the quality of the generated aerosol and the dosage accuracy.
An aerosol generator of this vibratable element type is disclosed in DE 10 2005 006 375 A1. In particular, DE 10 2005 006 375 A1 discloses an aerosol generator for inhalation therapy devices, in which an oscillatable assembly, consisting of at least a membrane and an oscillation generator, is mounted in an encapsulating means by means of a flexible passage contacting the oscillatable assembly. The flexible passage comprises two flexible sealing lips which contact the oscillatable assembly from two opposing sides thereof.
Since, in the aerosol, generator disclosed in DE 10 2005 006 375 A1, the flexible sealing lips exhibit the same degree of flexibility, there is a risk that the oscillatable assembly may move, e.g., tilt, during assembly and/or during operation of the aerosol generator. Such an undesired movement of the oscillatable assembly may adversely affect the oscillation or vibration thereof and thus impair the aerosol generation, both in terms of aerosol quality and aerosol dosage accuracy.
Hence, there remains a need for an aerosol generator which allows for a precise and reliable alignment of a vibratable element, thereby ensuring high aerosol quality and dosage accuracy.